L'Avenir - Cruising Europe's Inland Waterways

And that's not only the flag. Things have gone pretty well this summer but there's nothing quite like a force 7+ gale to blow away your complacency. Over the past few days we have been wending our way back south and west towards Amsterdam. We locked out of the deserted canals of eastern Holland onto the River Ijssel and then out onto the Randmeren - a series of meers, or lakes, 97km in length. When we came this way 3 months ago it was sunny and the lakes were full of yachts and cruisers. I remember commenting then that I wouldn't like to do it in bad weather.... The first 2 days weren't too bad. Just wet. A year ago, when we first embarked upon this, a woman said to me, 'Don't worry about rain. It can't hurt. Worry about the wind.' We've had plenty of windy days along the way but it's really a question of where you are when they start blowing. Out on a meer wouldn't be your first choice. The final in the series of meers is Markermeer which ...

Ever dreamt of an idyllic cruise on the European waterways? Long, hot summer days spent drifting along picturesque rivers. Stopping off in quaint villages for a glass of chilled wine or pilsener and some locally made cheese. Your stress lapping away like the ripples from your boat..... Well, so did a few other people. Sunday afternoon waiting for the bridge to open into the village of Akkrum in Friesland. The last weekend of the school holidays.

By rights we should be flying a Dutch flag as we register ed L'Avenir in the Netherlands after we purchased her last year. She was previously un registered as there's no legal requirement here to do so and most Dutch people don't bother. If you travel to other countries, however, you may be asked for ownership papers. Most 'foreigners' fly the flag of their home country though. This serves several purposes. It advertises the fact that you probably don't speak the language and can't read the signs and you may very well be an idiot who can nether drive nor moor a boat. To ensure that you don't collide with their pride and joy Dutch boat owners will, quite rightly, leap ashore to help you tie up, all the while offering painfully direct advice as to what you're doing wrong and the correct way to go about things. Some people don't take too kindly to this but there's no denying that the Dutch know a thing or two about boat handling. Your flag...